Ceramic Filter with Nanofibers

Abstract

A filter system for filtering a fluid containing particles includes a porous substrate. The porous substrate is made of a porous ceramic material. A filtering material is connected to the porous ceramic substrate. The filtering material includes nanofibers. The fluid travels through the porous ceramic substrate and travels through the filtering material wherein the particles are captured in the porous ceramic substrate and in the filtering material.

1 . A filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles, comprising:
 a porous substrate, said porous substrate made of a porous ceramic material; and   a filtering material connected to said porous substrate, said filtering material including nanofibers; wherein the fluid travels through said porous substrate and travels through said filtering material, wherein the particles are captured in said filtering material.   
     
     
         2 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 1  wherein the fluid travels through said porous substrate and travels through said filtering material, wherein the particles are captured in said porous substrate and in said filtering material. 
     
     
         3 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 1  wherein said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of one nanometer to two hundred nanometers. 
     
     
         4 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 1  wherein said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of five nanometers to two hundred nanometers. 
     
     
         5 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 1  wherein said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of five nanometers to one hundred nanometers. 
     
     
         6 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 1  wherein some of said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of five nanometers to two hundred nanometers and wherein some of said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is larger than two hundred nanometers. 
     
     
         7 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 1  wherein some of said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of five nanometers to two hundred nanometers and wherein some of said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of two hundred nanometers to one micrometer. 
     
     
         8 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 1  wherein said porous ceramic material of said porous substrate and said filtering material including nanofibers have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid that travels through said porous substrate and travels through said filtering material and said pressure drop is less than two inches of water column pressure drop. 
     
     
         9 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 1  wherein said porous ceramic material of said porous substrate and said filtering material including nanofibers have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid that travels through said porous substrate and travels through said filtering material and said pressure drop is within the range of two to six inches of water column pressure drop. 
     
     
         10 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 1  wherein said porous ceramic material of said porous substrate and said filtering material including nanofibers have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid that travels through said porous substrate and travels through said filtering material and said pressure drop is within the range of six to ten inches of water column pressure drop. 
     
     
         11 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 1  wherein said porous ceramic material of said porous substrate and said filtering material including nanofibers have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid that travels through said porous substrate and travels through said filtering material and said pressure drop is greater than ten inches of water column pressure drop. 
     
     
         12 . A filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles, comprising:
 porous substrate means made of a porous ceramic material for allowing passage of the fluid; and   filtering material means for filtering the fluid connected to said porous substrate means, said filtering material means including nanofibers; wherein the fluid travels through said porous substrate means and travels through said filtering material means, wherein the particles are captured in said filtering material means.   
     
     
         13 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 12  wherein said nanofibers in said filtering material means have a diameter that is within the range of one nanometer to two hundred nanometers. 
     
     
         14 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 12  wherein said porous ceramic material of said porous substrate means and said filtering material means including nanofibers have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid travels through said porous substrate means and travels through said filtering material means have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid less than two inches of water column pressure drop. 
     
     
         15 . The filter apparatus for filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 12  wherein said porous ceramic material of said porous substrate means and said filtering material means including nanofibers have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid travels through said porous substrate means and travels through said filtering material means have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid within the range of two to ten inches of water column pressure drop. 
     
     
         16 . A method of filtering a fluid containing particles, comprising the steps of:
 providing a porous substrate made of a porous ceramic material;   providing a filtering material connected to said porous substrate wherein said filtering material includes nanofibers; and   directing the fluid through said porous substrate and through said filtering material wherein the particles are captured in said filtering material.   
     
     
         17 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said step of directing the fluid through said porous substrate and through said filtering material comprises directing the fluid through said porous substrate and directing the fluid through said filtering material wherein the particles are captured in said porous substrate and the particles are captured in said filtering material. 
     
     
         18 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of one nanometer to two hundred nanometers. 
     
     
         19 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of five nanometers to two hundred nanometers. 
     
     
         20 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of five nanometers to one hundred nanometers. 
     
     
         21 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein some of said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of five nanometers to two hundred nanometers and wherein some of said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is larger than two hundred nanometers. 
     
     
         22 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein some of said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of five nanometers to two hundred nanometers and wherein some of said nanofibers in said filtering material have a diameter that is within the range of two hundred nanometers to one micrometer. 
     
     
         23 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said porous ceramic material of said porous substrate and said filtering material including nanofibers have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid that travels through said porous substrate and travels through said filtering material and said pressure drop is within the range of two to six inches of water column pressure drop. 
     
     
         24 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said porous ceramic material of said porous substrate and said filtering material including nanofibers have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid that travels through said porous substrate and travels through said filtering material and said pressure drop is less than two inches of water column pressure drop. 
     
     
         25 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said porous ceramic material of said porous substrate and said filtering material including nanofibers have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid that travels through said porous substrate and travels through said filtering material and said pressure drop is within the range of six to ten inches of water column pressure drop. 
     
     
         26 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said porous ceramic material of said porous substrate and said filtering material including nanofibers have structures that produce a pressure drop in the fluid that travels through said porous substrate and travels through said filtering material and said pressure drop is greater than ten inches of water column pressure drop. 
     
     
         27 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said step of providing a porous substrate made of a porous ceramic material comprises extruding a stream of said ceramic material to form said porous substrate. 
     
     
         28 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said step of providing a porous substrate made of a porous ceramic material comprises providing said ceramic material on a supply of ceramic substrate to form said porous substrate. 
     
     
         29 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said step of providing a filtering material connected to said porous substrate comprises electrospinning a jet of nanofibers to provide said filtering material. 
     
     
         30 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 16  wherein said step of providing a filtering material connected to said porous substrate comprises depositing a first layer of fibers on said porous substrate followed by depositing one or more additional layers of fibers on said porous substrate. 
     
     
         31 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 30  wherein said step of depositing one or more additional layers of fibers on said porous substrate comprises depositing one or more additional layers of fibers of different diameters on said porous substrate. 
     
     
         32 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 30  wherein said step of depositing one or more additional layers of fibers on said porous substrate comprises depositing one or more additional layers of fibers of different diameters or different fiber materials in multiple repeating layers wherein said layers have varying thicknesses. 
     
     
         33 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 30  wherein said step of depositing one or more additional layers of fibers on said porous substrate comprises depositing one or more layers of chopped fibers on said porous substrate. 
     
     
         34 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 30  wherein said step of depositing one or more additional layers of fibers on said porous substrate comprises depositing one or more layers of chopped fibers on said porous substrate wherein said chopped fibers have aspect ratios of length to diameter ranging from 1:1 to 200:1 or larger. 
     
     
         35 . A method of filtering a fluid containing particles, comprising the steps of:
 providing a porous substrate made of a porous ceramic material;   providing a filtering material including nanofibers connected to said porous substrate wherein said filtering material is provided by depositing a first layer of fibers on said porous substrate followed by depositing one or more additional layers of fibers on said porous substrate or on said first layer wherein said first layer or said one or more additional layers or both said first layer and said one or more additional layers include fibers of different diameters; and   directing the fluid through said porous substrate and through said filtering material wherein some of the particles are captured in said filtering material and wherein some of the particles pass through said first layer or said one or more additional layers or both said first layer and said one or more additional layers that include fibers of different diameters.   
     
     
         36 . A method of filtering a fluid containing particles, comprising the steps of:
 providing a porous substrate made of a porous ceramic material;   providing a filtering material connected to said porous substrate wherein said filtering material is provided by depositing a first layer of filter material on said porous substrate followed by depositing one or more additional layers of filter material on said porous substrate or on said first layers of filter material wherein said first layer of filter material or said additional layers of filter material or both said first layer of filter material and said additional layers of filter material include nanofibers; and   directing the fluid through said porous substrate and through said first layer of filtering material and said additional layers of filtering material wherein some of the particles are captured in said first layer of filtering material and wherein some of the particles pass through said first layer of filtering material.   
     
     
         37 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 36  wherein said step of depositing a first layer of filter material on said porous substrate followed by depositing one or more additional layers of filter material on said porous substrate or on said first layers of filter material includes depositing fibers of different diameters. 
     
     
         38 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 36  wherein said step of depositing a first layer of filter material on said porous substrate followed by depositing one or more additional layers of filter material on said porous substrate or on said first layers of filter material includes depositing a first type of fiber and depositing a different type of fiber. 
     
     
         39 . The method of filtering a fluid containing particles of  claim 36  wherein said step of depositing a first layer of filter material on said porous substrate followed by depositing one or more additional layers of filter material on said porous substrate or on said first layers of filter material includes depositing a fiber and depositing a material that is not a fiber.